Bionic

The Motorola Droid Bionic won’t be released for a month, but thanks to FCC internal photos we now have a look inside Verizon’s first dual-core LTE phone. FCC photos, below, show the device’s main board where a Qualcomm MDM5500 modem is visible, along with memory from Elpida, SanDisk, Hynix and Toshiba. We didn’t spot the device’s TI OMAP 4430 dual core 1GHz processor, however.

FCC documents also contain the Bionic’s user manual, which gives us a few more details about the device. According to the manual, the Bionic will have global calling capabilities in over 220 countries thanks to a SIM Card slot. The Bionic will also come with a Netflix app, as well as 1080p video recording capabilities.

One interesting note is that the Bionic appears to have wireless induction charging capabilities built in, rather than available through a separate back cover accessory. However, Motorola will likely charge for a induction charging dock.

Motorola Mobility reported its Q2 numbers today, and shed some light on the Droid Bionic in the process. In its Q2 earnings conference call, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha confirmed rumors that the Bionic will be delayed until September. Jha did not specify the reasons for the Bionic’s delays, but he did note that Motorola’s earnings will take a hit due to the Bionic’s late launch.

Jha also admitted that the XOOM, Motorola’s first Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet, was overpriced. The company was forced to cut the XOOM’s initial $800 price at Verizon to just $500, but Jha noted that “we now recognize where the price points are,” and announced that new tablets from Motorola can be expected by the end of 2011.

Motorola did ship 4.4 million smartphones in Q2 2011, in line with analyst expectations while selling 440,000 tablets, beating analyst expectations. Still, the company’s stock was down about 4% in after hours trading.

The Motorola Droid Bionic’s launch at Sam’s Club has been pushed back to September, according to a screen shot published by Android Central today. The screen shot provides little other information about the delay, and it’s not clear if the delay is unique to Sam’s Club, or can be expected at all of Verizon’s retail partners.

Motorola announced its Q1 2011 revenue today, pleasing analysts with a lower than expected loss of $81 million, as well as a positive outlook for Q2. The company shipped 9.3 million devices this quarter, including over 250,000 XOOM Android tablets.

However, the company also confirmed that the highly anticipated DROID Bionic will be delayed until the Summer. The dual-core 4G Android smartphone was expected to launch in Q2 of this year, but according to Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha, software problems with Verizon’s 4G network forced Motorola to push back the Bionic’s launch date.

The LTE upgrade for the Motorola XOOM will be pushed back as well. Motorola launched the 3G version of the XOOM in February, assuring users that the device would receive a free upgrade to Verizon’s 4G LTE network in May. However, it now appears that the XOOM’s LTE upgrade will not be available until this Summer.

Motorola’s announced its troubles with Verizon’s LTE network just one day after Verizon’s entire 4G LTE network went down nationwide. To date, Verizon has faced numerous problems with its LTE network. The company’s first LTE phone, the HTC ThunderBolt, was delayed for over a month, and Verizon’s second LTE phone, the Samsung Charge, was delayed due to Verizon’s 4G LTE network outage yesterday. Verizon has been tight lipped regarding its LTE problems, but the many delays of LTE devices combined with yesterday’s outage suggests that Verizon may be facing more complications with its 4G LTE network than originally anticipated.

The Motorola Bionic boasts some juicy specs – the device’s 4.3-inch 960 x 540 qHD display, dual core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor and 4G LTE data are best in class. But it looks like prospective Bionic owners will need to wait until the end of summer to get their hands on the device. Today, the Wall Street Journal reported that Motorola will delay the launch of the Bionic until Summer, which may mean the device won’t be launched until August or perhaps even September. According to Motorola representatives, the company is “incorporating several enhancements to make this an even better consumer experience.”

The Bionic’s delay reminds us of the mysterious delays encountered with the HTC ThunderBolt, Verizon’s first LTE device. The ThunderBolt’s delays were reportedly due to poor battery life, and we wouldn’t be surprised if the Bionic’s dual core processor and qHD display are causing similar problems for Motorola as well.

On a more positive note, Motorola’s announcement today quells rumors that the Bionic has been cancelled altogether. That would have been a major disappointment, especially considering the positive impression made by the Bionic at CES.

The delays of the ThunderBolt and Bionic make us wonder if Verizon’s 4G LTE network is creating problems for phone manufacturers. It will be interesting to see if the Samsung DROID Charge, Verizon’s second LTE phone, launches on April 28th as expected.

Phandroid got their hands on a leaked Verizon roadmap, and lets just say we have a lot to look forward to in the next couple of months. According to the roadmap, the HTC Incredible 2 and Sony Xperia Play will launch in April, along with the Casio Commando, Samsung Charge (formerly known as the Stealth) and HTC Trophy. In May, we can look forward to the LG Revolution, Motorola Bionic, Motorola Droid X2 and Samsung Galaxy 2.

That means by the end of May, Verizon will have five new 4G LTE devices, with the Samsung Charge, LG Revolution, Motorola Bionic, Motorola X2 and Samsung Galaxy 2. Verizon will also have a nice selection of dual-core Android phones with the Motorola Bionic, Samsung Galaxy 2, and likely the Motorola Droid X2.

That’s an awfully strong lineup of devices for Verizon, putting to rest any ideas that the carrier’s focus has shifted from Android to the iPhone. We’re particularly interested to see how Verizon’s upcoming 4G devices stack up against the ThunderBolt.